DDR Dogs- East German Dogs- Bloat

Science is catching up on bloat. All current studies and many former are showing both genetic and environmental links to Gastric Torsion. While the German Shepherd Dog is not among the highest on the list, its a problem as with the deep-chested breeds and deep-chested mixed-breed dogs. All of which are at higher risk.

As a mentor said to me early on you can do a lot with a fair hip dog but bloat kills, you just can’t work with that.

While dogs don’t inherit a bloat gene they do inherit the predisposition to bloat. The most recent info is a dog with a direct parent has a 63 % percent greater risk of developing bloat themselves (Tufts) thats a pretty significant number that should not be swept under the rug. One of the biggest problems is in the reporting.

Studies show 7.3 % ish of the GSD as a whole succumb to bloat those numbers are significantly off due to the speed at which bloat can kill. All studies are based on the dogs getting medical attention. In my research with many new clients and reading on the web and speaking with those whose dogs succumbed, many they never made it to the Vet.

That number 7.3% ish, is a very low representation of actual numbers due to the fact many did not make it to a vet. Once most of our animals pass that quickly they are not given a necropsy due to the significant expense. They are also almost never taken into a vet post mortem. That number 7.3% is most likely double and could be triple the cases.

Another main issue is sweeping it under the rug. Out of site out of mind. Theres no database for dogs that have succumb to bloat. While many breeders know of dogs being line bred on that have created problematic litters and or bloated themselves, no one else knows. Especially people looking for a new dog. Some breeders believe there no correlation but they are arguing against serious science and some of the brightest minds on the subject, a losing battle out of the gate when dealing with facts and not feelings.

With that in mind and that fact that breeders are very reluctant to share information with regards to dogs that have succumb to bloat, gathering a list is especially hard now that the correlation has been made to a genetic pre disposition. Going to try and put a list together of the dogs that have bloated or those that have created a litter where dogs have bloated.

In forums and socials comments often get turned off muy pronto when discussions are started and more often then not breeders are very reluctant to share publicly when people ask if they know of any DDR dogs or East line dogs have succumb to bloat. Even asking if its even a problem. That makes it a mega hard list to continue to build. Its akin to pulling teeth without anesthesia, nobody goes willingly for that.

For those whom have experienced this, its also a very painful situation to revisit, as its pretty horrific looking something in the eye that you love and know theres nothing you can do but hold them through that ugly process, thats painful and many don’t want to talk about it any further.

Having said that perhaps we can at least start winding down breeding on those dogs even with the dwindling pool of East line genetics. I would rather bred a fair hip everyday into next Tuesday then bred a known bloat dog into a healthy line. Hopefully as a group we can start taking an active roll in not proliferating this issue or passing the buck due to it being a hidden trait. We should all treat this no differently then hips.

The better breeders won’t bred on lines that are notorious for producing bad hips so why are some breeding the bloat dogs or perhaps much worse, line breeding on two or three in the same pedigree, yikes!

Over the last 11 years or so I had built a pretty good list of the dogs I don’t want to see in a pedigree, especially line bred upon. Many of these dogs have succumb to bloat and produced the predisposition to it. Unfortunately my master list was lost in my house fire a few years back. While reluctant to share all, I will begin slowly sharing information with regards to this subject and the East lines.

Going to start slow as well and list dogs dogs further back to begin with. The push back from breeders breeding on these line is already high.

To start I will list just a few dogs I see being line bred heavily on now. Lets see if we can get some participation from breeders and people who’s dog have positively succumbed to bloat, for starters. Check back for updates and please share what you may know or have heard and hopefully if this resonates it can turn into a team effort.

I will add many more to list if we can do it together and as a group effort, not only for the people who sat through the often helpless feeling but especially for those dogs who died this horrific way.

Best Regards,

JD

Below are East German Dogs whom bloated or have been said to have bloated and survived and those who succumbed to bloat. Including those who might have passed the predisposition. I.e. one or both of the litter parents. Only through extensive line knowledge can one correlate which parent If not both are most likely passing the issue.

If you have done research please report the findings and we will adjust the list accordingly. The list may change and be updated often due to the difficulty of sharing this more hidden specific health issue.

If you have done research please report the findings and we will adjust the list accordingly. The list may change and be updated often due to the difficulty of truth telling and sharing this more hidden specific health issue.

Dogs that did bloat or passed from bloat. Therefore pass a pre-disposition to there progeny. If you have a direct descendent from a dog on this list it would be a good idea to have the stomach tacked as precaution.